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Morgan Rielly among 34 coming to Leafs prospect camp

If things go Morgan Rielly’s way, the 19-year-old defensive prospect should at least give the Leafs a hard decision to make.

Defenceman Morgan Rielly, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, is one of 34 players invited to the Leafs' summer prospects camp, beginning Tusday at the MasterCard Centre.
(Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

It has happened just about every season in recent years: a young player comes to the Maple Leafs’ summer prospects camp and makes the team the next season.

Leo Komarov — a man amongst boys — did it last year, following the likes of Luke Schenn, Tyler Bozak and Carl Gunnarsson.

If it’s going to happen this season, the most likely candidate is Morgan Rielly, the fifth overall pick from the 2012 draft. Rielly is one of 34 players who will descend on the MasterCard Centre Tuesday.

“He has to separate himself (from the pack) more than he did last time he was in that situation,” said Leafs coach Randy Carlyle in a recent interview. “I think he will. It will be natural.

“He came back from junior hockey and competed in the American league playoffs. He’s a young puck-moving defenceman. He’s going to be up on the play and be what he is, be himself. Move the puck effectively, rush the puck, join the rush when he can. Play solid defence.”

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If things go Rielly’s way, the 19-year-old defensive prospect should at least give the Leafs a hard decision to make. He is caught betwixt and between: either he plays in the NHL, or he’s goes back to major junior. There’s no AHL for him because of his age.

“He’s not the first player who has fallen into this category,” said Carlyle. “We think he has a tremendous upside. We just don’t know how far he’s developed from last year to this year.

“We’ll have a full training camp (in September) to assess where he’s at. He’ll play a lot of exhibition games as all our young players will. We’ll get the cream of the crop in as many games as we can.”

Some teams let their 19-year-olds play right away. The Leafs — witness Schenn — were one of them. But they’re trying now to have their prospects play as long as possible in developmental leagues, be they major junior, U.S. colleges or Europe.

For that reason, it would surprise no one if Rielly played another year of major junior.

“You get too far ahead of yourself to say that off a prospect camp that he’s going to make the Toronto Maple Leafs,” said Carlyle. “That’s not what we’re about.

“There’s a process we go through. Our players are going to be subjected to a lot of tests along the way. … The best ones are going to continue on.”

Among the high profile attendees: centre Frederik Gauthier, the first-round pick from 2013 and first-rounders from 2011: winger Tyler Biggs and defenceman Stuart Percy.

A couple of players who could log big minutes this year with the Marlies: Defenceman Andrew MacWilliam and goalie Garret Sparks — will also be at the camp.

Jim Hughes, director of player development for the Maple Leafs, will oversee the four-day camp.

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